Augers are used to drill narrow holes, such as through ice for ice fishing or in the earth for setting posts. A typical auger has one or more boring blades at the lower end of an upright drive shank and a spiral flight extending from the boring blades up a lower portion of the drive shank. The drive shank is rotated to turn the blades to bore a hole, such as through the ice. Some augers are manual, such that the drive shank is rotated manually, by an operator turning a crank. Other augers are powered, such that the drive shank is rotated by an electric motor or fuel-powered engine.
U.S. Pat. Publication 2010/0074702 discloses a spindle coupling that connects a cordless DC electric motor to an auger assembly to drill holes in ice. The DC motor is powered by a removable 36 V lithium battery.
An electric ice auger sold by Icegator, LLC located in Pettisville, Ohio under the trade name “Icegator Annihilator” uses a sealed and insulated 36 volt Li-Ion battery pack that just plugs in and can be charged on or off the power head. The power head and battery pack weighs about 22 pounds and turns at 385 rpm at the cutting edge. The manufacturer claims that the power head can cut over 40 holes through 28″ of ice on a single charge with certain bits.
Another electric ice auger sold under the trade name “Electra Lazer 12000 DP Power Auger”, available from assignee of the present application, includes an on-board 12 volt battery pack and extension cables to attach to a separate power source, such as for example, a car battery. The power head and battery pack weights about 20.79 pounds and turns at about 90 rpm.